Catholic+iPad+Apps+and+Podcasts

=Guide to Catholic Apps & Podcasts= // **New Liturgy Translation on line?** // The USCCB addressed the question of an online version of the Revised English Translation of the Roman Missal (3rd ed.). While the option has not been ruled out, it is not part of the roll-out for Advent 2011. That being said, iBreviary, which has the complete texts of the Roman Missal for use by priests, has stated that it will have the revised English translations available as an update when the time comes. This can be used on iPad for easy reading on the altar or Android, Blackberry and iPhone/iPodTouch formats. //**Featured App**// **The New Mass** (.99 cents) designed to help the laity learn responses in the Revised English Translation of the Roman Missal (3rd ed.) Ideal for Catholics in the pews as it separates out each segment of the Mass offering the present translation, the revised translation and a little catechesis on the “reasons” for each revised translation. //**Featured Apps**// **Catholic Education in audio format**- (Free trial) iPhone and Android formats. CatholicMP3Vault digitalized an entire library of Catholic audio recordings from the past offering you a wide variety of instruction on topics such as Catholic teaching, history, the saints, church fathers, actual Fulton Sheen homilies and lectures, and much more. Browse their collection. Internet connection required. I am enamored by the rich variety of instructions offered by a host of competent lecturers and famous priests. Hours and hours of recordings! If you are looking for good, solid, faithful instruction, it’s here. When I don’t care to listen to the radio, I turn to these recordings. I listen while driving, gardening, cooking, lounging… so enjoyable to listen to these offerings. Edifying and inspiring. **//**Featured App**//** **Confession** ($1.99) walks Catholics through the sacrament and contains what the company behind the program describes as a “personalized examination of conscience for each user”. It has received a U.S. Bishop’s imprimatur. More info here. Available for Android here [Released Jan. 27, 2011; Android released March, 2011] //**UPDATE!**// – **iBreviary Pro** (free) has been upgraded with the new Terra Santa version for iPhone/iPad, Blackberry. Available on iTunes and at iBreviary web site. Android version here. Read more about this essential app below under Liturgies. ==== **BlackBerry and ** **Android** Catholic applications are growing. If an App includes a version for Blackberry or Android, it will be noted in the descriptions below with a link. For other BlackBerry app ideas go to the Blackberry App Store or check out here or here. For Android app ideas, go to Android Market or AndroidLib and search terms like “Catholic” or “Prayer.” You can also search blogs dedicated to Android Catholic apps here and here and here and here.====
 * //**Free Books!**// ** **Google eBookStore** (Free) books available in full view in public domain; fully searchable by name, author, topic. You can build a collection on an electronic shelf with your downloads. Your search may bring you to books which are only available in partial views with no full download available. Frank Weathers has created an electronic shelf within GoogleBooks that is shy of 1,000 titles available in fiction and nonfiction, prose and poetry from a Catholic/Christian perspective.

Calendars
**e-Ordo** ($19.95/year) a breakthrough for those who use the liturgical calendar and use an electronic PC or PDA calendar for daily scheduling. Imagine the convenience of importing the liturgical year into your existing electronic calendar! E-Ordo is in compliance with the General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar and includes all the liturgical calendar information including colors, seasons, feasts, solemnities, memorials, and optional memorials. **//New//**- The E-Ordo for 2012 now includes the lectionary reading numbers, as well as the designation as to whether or not the Creed and/or the Gloria are said. All readings and alternative readings are listed for every day of the week, as is information about the Liturgy of the Hours. Local variants to the universal liturgical calendar may be edited once the calendar is imported. This electronic file can be imported into most electronic calendars and platforms (PC, Mac, and PDA). **Roman Catholic Calendar** for iCal–(free yearly subscription) A Roman Catholic calendar of feast days, memorials, solemnities and holy days of obligation. Includes links to find out more about saints and feast days of the Church. Very easy to download; it installed itself onto iCal on my Mac. Then I set it to upload on my iPhone/iPodTouch at the next sync. iCal share offers free subscriptions to a variety of calendars that superimpose in your iCal program. Go to their web site and choose the category you’re interested in on the left-hand-column. I chose “religion” and scrolled to “Catholic” to find this calendar. There is also a calendar for Carmelite feast days, a light version of the Roman Catholic Calendar that only includes Sundays, major feasts and solemnities, and a Traditional Roman Catholic Calendar according to the 1962 Missal for both Mass and the Breviary. You have to re-subscribe each year by going back to the site and downloading the next year’s calendar.

Liturgies
With iPad it can be used in place of the traditional missal on the altar! //You need internet/phone connection to operate this app.// However, you can download 10 days of liturgies stored in a separate cache in case you are going to be in an area with no internet access (like your sanctuary!) Full report on the Missal is here. **E-Breviary** ** pdf download ** (annual subscription) For about $30/yr. you can subscribe to a service that downloads .pdf files of the principle hours of prayer: Morning, Day, Evening, Night and Office of Readings. These approved texts (North America) are offered in a format just as they are printed in your breviary (“church” font with red rubrics). Very nice to read on your computer screen, mobile device or as print-out. Because these are pdf files, you can zoom in for easier reading. Great for dark situations where you can’t have light on. Nice to have available on my laptop or mobile device, especially when traveling. Visit e-breviary.com to subscribe. You will need to send them a check. They don’t process payments on line. **Divine Office** ($14.99) is a full-feature **//audio and text//** App for iPhone/Touch/iPad and Android. Approved texts for United States with a bias towards the U.S. calendar. You get: The purchase of this app provides you with the same content available on the DivineOffice.org website, but in a much more convenient and beautiful presentation. It also includes music, chimes, etc. that add to the beauty and the time (approx 20 min). You can only upload a few days at a time, and they are not fully up to speed with weekend prayers, a need which they report they are addressing. [|**The Divine Office iPhone App**] will automatically download today’s audio Liturgy as well as the next few days without connecting to a computer. Use your wireless connection without iTunes synchronization so you never need to connect to a computer for updates. You can download all these same audio files for FREE as a Podcast at DivineOffice.org. This podcast loads into iTunes. I love this version (as an App or Podcast)! Tasteful & elegant interface to go with excellent studio production quality. Psalms are recited responsorially, not antiphonally, but that may change, according to their announcement in April, 2009. NEW feature! a tracking component on your iPhone so that you can see a graphic of the globe with little sparkles that indicate who is praying the Hours with you in real time around the world! How cool is that? Here is their video explaining all the many aspects of this well-developed program: **Universalis** (Divine Office) **app on iTunes** ($32.99) –This is strictly text, no audio. It does //not// use the approved English translation for the United States, and it is expensive in relation to the app market; nevertheless, it’s complete (minus the hymns) and there’s nothing more to download as it comes loaded with everything you need for every day on the liturgical calendar (UK, USA, Canada, etc). Universalis includes Catholic Liturgy of the Hours–Morning & Evening Prayer along with Day and Night Prayer, the Office of Readings AND daily Mass (texts approved for the US- NAB translation); notes on feast/saint of the day. Does not require internet connection to operate, so this app comes in handy when in a pinch. Radio or TV
 * [[image:http://4thepriests.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/imissal2.png?w=71&h=65 width="71" height="65" link="http://www.imissal.com/index.html"]]iMissal-** iTunes download ($4.99) Android version is here. **Ordinary Form** of the Roman Catholic Mass. An indispensable component of my iPhone. Here’s a link explaining all the features of this great app which comes fully loaded. Just click the day on the little calendar and voilà, the Liturgy of the Word readings are there in proper order. Easy to read because you can bump up the text size with the zoom-in tool at the top of the screen. Text is re-formatted to fit when you zoom. Very helpful. When in a pinch on the road, it helps. Internet/phone connection NOT needed to run this app. Approved translation. Updates include Our Daily Bread; audio readings (requires internet connection) which can aid lectors with pronunciation, HQ video of Mass from CatholicTV (need internet connection), and much more.
 * iMass** iTunes download- ($1.99) **Extraordinary Form** of the Roman Catholic Mass (1962 Missal in Latin). Get the missal and video stream of daily mass in the Extraordinary Form to watch on demand on your iPhone/iPod/iPad. More info. is at the iMass web site. The app provides a complete missal– the text of the Mass of the day according to the 1962 Missal–so you can use it for participation at Mass (so you CAN use an iPhone/iPod in the pews at the EF Mass!) As they appropriately warn, “This app does not serve to fulfill the Sunday Obligation of going to church and assisting at Mass, however it is an optimal way to unite yourself to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at any time of the day or night.”
 * iBreviary Terra Sancta** app (free) **– //Updated with new interface// **for iPhone/iPad and Blackberry. Standard version available for Android. Vatican approved! NOT JUST A BREVIARY…IT’S THE COMPLETE ROMAN MISSAL and more. You get:
 * Liturgy of the Hours (Roman and Ambrosian Rite)
 * Roman and Ambrosian Missal
 * Application available in English, Italian, French, Latin, Spanish
 * Mass readings for the current day (full lectionary)
 * Missal and Breviary for the celebrations of the Saints. (also the commons)
 * Main prayers of the Catholic tradition
 * About Saints Day (short bio and picture)
 * Load up to 10 days to use off-line
 * Ordinary of the Mass and rituals according to the Vetus Ordo of 1962.
 * Available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android, mobile version, widgets.
 * About Today (on Solemnities and Memorial days)
 * Invitatory Psalm
 * Office of Readings (not everyday yet)
 * Morning Prayer
 * Evening Prayer
 * Night Prayer
 * Praystation Portable Podcast** (FREE) This is a RELIABLE, DEPENDABLE podcast of Liturgy of the Hours for every day of the week. It uses the approved English translations. It is my recommended Podcast for all principle hours and Office of Readings if all you want is a dependable dry read; no frills. This also plays on any iPod/MP3 player. Link is on the left of this web page by clicking the image for Praystation Portable. New podcasts can be uploaded WIRELESSLY if you have that connection ability. So, you don’t need to go through iTunes. You can also play the podcast direct off the internet without any downloading if you are so connected. Of course, you can download the Hours up to three or four days ahead.
 * Liturgia Horarum** – (FREE) Current Divine Office in Latin; it is available on-line only on an interactive web site.
 * Breviarium Meum** - (FREE) traditional (1962) Latin breviary of the Catholic Church. The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate have released this free iPhone app which will allow you to follow along and pray the older Roman breviary on your iPhone. It is available in Latin with the ability to turn on a parallel translation in English. For more on the app, read the[|WDTPRS review]
 * EWTN Radio or TV** on Apple iPhone & iTouch (free):1. On your Iphone or iTouch, start Mobile Safari browser2. Enter **[|www.ewtn.mobi]** into the URL field3. Hit “Go”4. Choose under IPHONE links the video or audio option.
 * EWTN Radio or TV** on other Mobile Devices (free) :1. Open your Windows based mobile device into the Internet.2. Type in **[|www.ewtn.mobi]**into address field.3. Choose either audio or video link under OTHER DEVICES
 * Radio Vaticana** ($3.99)- iTunes download only. Vatican news and feature stories– 5 channels with programming in different languages. . Updated August, 2011.
 * CatholicTV** (Free) iTunes download only. Watch the daily Mass, the Holy Rosary, a unique reflection for each day and keep abreast of what’s going on at America’s Catholic Television Network. CatholicTV provides inspiring and entertaining programming, faithful to the teaching of the Church.

Prayer/Reflection/Scripture
**Bible: Douay Rheims Version** **App on iTunes**-New Testament only- ($4.99) **Mobile Bible Software for advanced Greek and Hebrew** Olive Tree Bible Software offers the standard scholarly Greek and Hebrew texts, parsing and morphological information at the touch of a finger, and fast and powerful searches on words or morphologies – developed for all mobile devices. Watch the video to see how it works. Really cool. Someone asked Fr. Z if one could conceivably have one’s **iPhone blessed** as the Rosary application is used on it. This is important in terms of gaining the indulgence attached to praying with a blessed rosary. Fr Z responds. **Rosary Amen** ($2.99) A reader of this blog alerted me to this multi-lingual Rosary app. Information here. I have it for the audio in Latin to help me learn it. I do wish it had audio in Spanish, not just text. Noteworthy highlights: [|**Prayer List**] App on iTunes-($1.99) tracks your prayer requests. Password protected–an important element! At first this did not strike me as very useful. It is not a fancy application, by any means. But it’s usefulness has grown on me. You list by group and by individuals under a particular group. In this you can add your own photos (I like looking at people for whom I’m praying). So, I started jotting down circumstances and people for whom I promised to pray. It turns out, I had completely forgotten some folks. This serves as a healthy reminder. When I’m traveling, waiting in line, you know those unoccupied moments–I can open this app and focus on one or two intentions. [released March 28, 2009] **Patron Saints and Candles app on iTunes** ($1.99)-Light a candle and pray with bells in the background. Top 75 patron saints w/ info. complete with bio., a prayer and artwork for each. But that’s not all…you get chimes to play as you pray…you can e-mail this info because it’s connected to your address book AND you can include your own message …AND light an animated candle…AND track that candle for that saint all over the globe in real time on a global map revealing everyone else praying to that saint for intercession using this app too. How cool is that?! HOWEVER I note that St. John Vianney is NOT among the saints. This app seem gimmicky? Yes, but in a well-done way. I do not find myself using this app very often, however. **Prayer app** on iTunes ($3.99)–”Easy-to-use, multi-language Christian Prayers database. The ultimate reference to Catholic Prayers for your iPhone and iPod Touch! Keep handy all of the Common Prayers listed in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and many more in English, Latin (oooh!), Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.” [released March, 2009]
 * St. Therese carried Gospel readings on her at all times near her heart. The Word of God is ALWAYS with you when you have a Bible app on your mobile device.**
 * Catholic NABRE Bible** on iTunes ($2.99)–You get the COMPLETE Bible and do not need to be connected to the internet to read it. Approved by the USCCB. iPhone/iPad/iPodTouch. Can’t beat this price. Font size is adjustable for easier reading.
 * The** **New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABre)** ($19.99) for iOS including iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, and Symbian 60.5. This is the first major update to the New American Bible (NAB) text in twenty years. Includes extensive notes, in-depth introductions to each book, and cross-references give readers an accurate rendering of the biblical texts into modern English. //This version includes the deuterocanonical books.// Get 3- step Verse Chooser to easily navigate to any verse and word search to quickly find any word in the document.
 * Complete NAB Bible ****app on iTunes** ($27.99)– great to have at your fingertips. Extensive footnotes included. Easy navigation. Elegant interface. It has a split-screen capability to view two passages simultaneously. Search capability built in. Check out the developer web site to see video of how this remarkable app works. **This NAB and other versions of Bibles for ALL mobile device platforms are available from the developer’s web site.**
 * Catholic Audio Bible** in MP3 format (Trial version is free.) – Need internet connection. Douay-Reims translation of Latin Vulgate. Nine languages. iPhone/iPad/iPodTouch.
 * [[image:http://4thepriests.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/rosary-app.jpg?w=100&h=100 width="100" height="100" caption="rosary-app" link="@http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=289189693&mt=8"]]Holy Rosary app on iTunes** ($3.99)–simply gorgeous interface with three different modes of counting including 2 different bead versions. Full text of all prayers included. No audio other than an optional clicking sound. Interface makes it easy to pray with your eyes closed. You can customize this by changing the photos for each mystery using photos in your collection. There is a “Lite” version of this available for .99. Lacks some customizable features. [released: August, 2008]
 * 6 languages (English, French, Italian, Latin, Portuguese and Spanish);
 * Prayers audio in 3 languages (English, Latin and Portuguese);
 * Correcty recommends the Rosary (Mystery) to pray based on the day of the week;
 * vibration feedback at the beginning of each of the five Mysteries (iPhone only), to help you keep track of the Mystery you are praying;
 * Divine Mercy** (free) The Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, who have promoted the authentic message of Divine Mercy since 1941, are pleased to release the OFFICIAL Divine Mercy App. available for [|Android devices] or [|iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch]), and discover why the message of Divine Mercy is the largest grassroots movement in the history of the Catholic Church. You get the complete Divine Mercy message and devotion in an easy to navigate format including Interactive Chaplet of Divine Mercy with an audio option; excerpts from St. Faustina’s diary; a gorgeous Way of the Cross; prayers; novena and much more!
 * 3-Minute Retreat** on iTunes ($.99)–Loyola Press’s highly popular 3-Minute Retreat is available for iPhone or SECOND generation iPod Touch. Loyola’s web site has full overview of this app. “Enjoy a daily reflective prayer retreat wherever you are… Each day, a new retreat featuring soothing music, Scripture verses, and reflective thoughts and questions comes your way…meaningful time with God is always just a touch away.” You control the pace of the retreat. English [released August 8, 2009]
 * Fulton Sheen App** (9.99) Servant of God Fulton Sheen Audio Library is an MP3 collection of 284 talks given by the great 20th Century pioneer Catholic televangelist. [released Nov. 6, 2010]
 * Way of the Cross** ($.99) This comes complete with pictures for each station and familiar prayers. Reflections are from the pope’s Good Friday Way of the Cross public prayer. So you can choose the version (year) you wish to use. This app allows for landscape viewing in addition to portrait. You can enlarge both the text (for easy reading!) and photos. English & Spanish. [Updated August 22, 2010.]
 * The Traditional Way of the Cross** (Free) offers traditional prayers and pre-Vatican II artwork. “No cartoons of Our Lord!” Mac app for iPhone/Pad/Pod.

Misc. Catholic Apps
**Catholic Days**-(FREE) — Calculates and displays some of the important days in the liturgical year. Movable feasts like Easter are calculated and displayed for this year, last year and next year. Includes weekend and weekday reading cycles. [Released June 19, 2009.] **Catholic Quiz App** ($2.99) This is a trivia game for all things Catholic. Interesting concept. There are rewards based on correct responses. 0000h! Just like Catholic school! [released: Sept 3, 2009] Cute parody by Catholic new media network, SQPN. These Apps really do exist and they ARE that cool!
 * [[image:http://4thepriests.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/masstime-logo.png?w=57&h=57 width="57" height="57" link="@http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mass-times/id336223114?mt=8"]]Mass Times** ($1.99)- the official app for MassTimes.org. developed to help traveling Catholics in the USA and around the world to find a nearby church with its schedule of Masses. CAUTION – verify the church’s Mass times as it is the responsibility of the church to inform MassTimes.org of any changes in schedule. Many are woefully negligent in doing this. Phone numbers are provided along with links to the church’s web site and maps. [ReleasedJanuary 2010]
 * Check out this video that reviews some of the more popular specifically Catholic apps out there** (from Diocese of Phoenix)

Catholic News
**App Recommendations:** Interested in knowing what other Catholic folks consider to be their favorite apps? Check out the //comments// link in this blog page to see what visitors to this site have suggested. **iPhone Catholic App Recommendations/Reviews** from Rev. Jack McLain, S.J. published in //America// magazine Feb., 2011. App Recommendations from PromoteCatholicism.com: 3 Minute RetreatAmerican Catholic: Saint of the Day iPhone AppCatholic Mass Times Directory AppCatholic One (AppBrain)[|Catholic STL]CatholicTV AppChristian Art Mobile AppConfession a Roman Catholic AppDivine Mercy[|Divine Office][|Evangelizo – Daily Gospel (AppBrain)][|Holy Rosary Audio][|iBreviary (AppBrain)][|iBreviary Pro Terra Sancta][|iCatholic Magazine][|iConfess][|iMissal][|iPadre app][|iPieta][|iRosary][|Kindle for iPhone][|Magnificat][|Mass Times app][|Medjugorje][|Penance Project][|Rosary Miracle Prayer][|Saint a Day][|Saintcast][|Scriptural Rosary][|St Josemaria Escriva][|Stations of the Cross][|The Catholic Game][|The New Mass][|The Traditional Way][|Universalis][|VerseWise’s Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition][|YouVersion Bible App][|Word on Fire][|Facebook][|Hootsuite for Twitter][|Liturgy of the Hours][|Lose it!]____________________________________ (Don’t forget to restart your device after installing any apps to avoid crashes and low memory warnings!)
 * Pope2you.net** – The Vatican’s very own iPhone/iPodTouch app distributes audio and video reports exclusively in eight different languages, including Chinese. It is “the first application of video news dedicated to the Catholic world, through which you can follow the travels and speeches of Benedict XVI” as well as major Vatican events, the Pope2You site says. The news clips of the pope and the Vatican are the same ones currently offered on the Vatican’s video channel on YouTube. So, it’s a duplication of what the Vatican is already doing on the internet–it just is now capable of coming through your iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad within an app. The video comes in a nice display on the screen. I was able to switch it to English–no problem. //You need internet/phone connection to operate this app.//